Hit List
by EternalFlame401
Summary: Set after Legion Mate hen. When a serial killer goes around killing anyone close to Kai, what will he do? Will his friends help him before he's the next victim?
1. Chapter 1

Hi there! Tiny slot of time allowed me to write this. Don't expect an update for a while, my classes are killing me. But I hope you like the first chapter! This fic is for AsterDragElf!

Disclaimer: I don't own them, just the idea and the OC that will appear eventually.

Read and Review!

* * *

It was just another day at Card Capital. The sun was shining and everyone was just hanging out in the shop. Gaillard, being the closest Quatre Knight to Aichi at the time, had decided to move to Japan and had also become a part of their tightly knit group. Rati and Neve had both gone back to their original countries. Aichi was currently fighting against Kai, with the rest of them watching the fight eagerly. It was a match-up between two amazing fighters that were both on a national level. Kai had just declared final turn. He started his turn with a draw and was about to re-ride his Perdition Emperor Dragon, Dragonic Overlord the Great, when his cell phone rang. He was confused, since everyone who had his number was there already, but picked it up quickly.

"Hello?" he asked. The other watched Kai's expression intently as the words coming out of the other end of the call were panicked and jumbled together. Kai had to wait slowly until the voice finally stopped talking and broke down sobbing. The sentence that followed afterwards had a huge impact on Kai, even though the others couldn't hear it. Kai's skin paled; turning it even paler than it normally was, and his cards fluttered to the floor. His fingers shook and his entire body was shivering. Frantically, the others heard the voice on the other end of the call frantically asking if Kai was still there.

"A-Ah..." the shaken brunet responded. Miwa watched on silently. It wasn't everyday that they saw Kai so shaken. He had even dropped his cards! Kai cared way too much about his deck to even _think_ of ever dropping his cards. The call ended shortly after that and each one of them was curious as to what had made unshakeable Kai suddenly lose all colour.

* * *

"Who was it?" Naoki asked. Kai looked away and hid his teal eyes under the shadow of his bangs.

"My aunt," Kai said quietly. Miwa was about to ask about the call itself when Kai silently collected his cards and excused himself for the day. The gang's jaws dropped. Anyone who knew Kai Toshiki knew that he was never one to abandon a fight. While everyone was still frozen in shock, Miwa chased after the sullen brunet. He didn't notice however, a certain orange eyed cardfighter sneak out behind him.

"So what was the call about?" Miwa asked his withdrawn best friend. Kai kept quiet, more so than usual. Miwa continued to pester softly, until, with his voice cracking, Kai answered,

"My uncle is dead. He was murdered." Miwa drew back in shock. Well he hadn't been expecting that. Miwa was stuck in between offering his condolences and just giving his best friend a quiet hug of comfort. Before he could decide, Kai continued.

"He said he wanted to be buried here. So he could be next to my mom and dad... The funeral is tomorrow." Miwa patted him on the back silently. It was the only way he could comfort Kai without making him even more uncomfortable. He slung an arm around the brunet's shoulders.

"Come on… I'll walk home with you." Kai gave him a silent thank you and continued to walk home. Both of them never noticed Gaillard hiding behind a tree, listening to their conversation.

* * *

Gaillard walked solemnly back into Card Capital where the familiar buzz of excitement reached his ears. He was glad that people seemed to have forgotten about Kai's little episode. The bluenet sat down and began to lose himself in his thoughts. How had Kai's uncle died? The brunet himself hadn't given a cause of death. He looked up when Aichi came up to him, a concerned look marring his features.

"Is Kai-kun alright?" he asked the other bluenet. Gaillard sighed and simply shook his head. Aichi's frown deepened and his brow furrowed.

"What happened?" Gaillard quickly relayed everything that he had heard to the Royal Paladin player. Aichi looked down sadly.

"Poor Kai-kun. I wonder if there's anything we can do to cheer him up..." Gaillard held back a scoff. He knew that Kai wouldn't want them to treat him any differently even though his uncle had died. Besides, if they did, he would know that one of them listened in on his conversation with the blond. They could only wait until Kai chose to tell them himself.

* * *

It rained on the day of the funeral. Kai was dressed similarly to the day of his parents' funeral. He wore a black suit jacket, black slacks and a black tie, all in contrast with his stark white dress shirt. His uncle had requested his funeral to be open casket. Now Kai was cringing at his poor relative's mutilated body. Multiple stab wounds littered his upper torso, one right where his heart was. One of his legs was bent at an odd angle, which told Kai that he had tried to run but had failed. He felt the cold raindrops run down his back, giving him slight chills. But he didn't mind. He was too focused on his uncle's body. They had never seen eye to eye on lots of things, but he had been the one to take Kai in after his parents had died. The man was like his second father. And to see him lying in his casket now; cold, lifeless and so utterly _dead, _hurt him a little.

Kai was no stranger to pain. Between moving away at a young age to losing Ren and then Aichi to Psyqualia, he already knew that life was filled with ups and downs. But did the world really have to take away his family from him again? Hadn't he suffered enough? The funeral ended on a low note, the rain having grown harder. The brunet was offered a rain jacket from his aunt to stop the rain from soaking him, but he refused it. He liked the rain. And at least this time it would hide the tears running down his face.

* * *

That's it! Tell me how you like it!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! I totally was not putting off homework to write this XD. Same as always, they don't belong to me!

**AsterDragElf:** You're welcome~ Hope you like the second chapter!

**Eclairia: **Mmmhmm! Thank you~ Haha, I did get the next part posted! Hope you enjoy it!

Read and Review!

* * *

_Last time:_

_Kai was no stranger to pain. Between moving away at a young age to losing Ren and then Aichi to Psyqualia, he already knew that life was filled with ups and downs. But did the world really have to take away his family from him again? Hadn't he suffered enough? The funeral ended on a low note, the rain having grown harder. The brunet was offered a rain jacket from his aunt to stop the rain from soaking him, but he refused it. He liked the rain. And at least this time it would hide the tears running down his face._

* * *

Kai walked around aimlessly. His aunt had spoken to him briefly before he left and now the conversation was weighing him down like a twenty pound weight. He felt an emotion that he hadn't in a very long time. Fear. He was so caught up in the foreign emotion that he didn't notice three people walk up to him. It was only when one of them put his hand on his shoulder that Kai whipped around, raw emotion plain on his face before realising who it was.

"Kai…kun? Are you ok?" came the soft voice. Kai breathed in slowly. Then he nodded.

"Y-yeah… I'm ok. What are you doing here, Miwa, Gaillard, Aichi?" The European champion's eyes narrowed but he said nothing. Miwa chose not to answer the question. Eventually, Aichi spoke up.

"We saw you come from the cemetery. I just wanted to offer my condolences, Kai-kun. I'm sorry for your loss." It took all Kai had not to make a face in front of his friends. He had heard enough of that phrase when his parents died and now he had to listen to it again. But nonetheless, he accepted Aichi's words thankfully and made his way back home alone.

* * *

"He's hiding something," Gaillard said simply. The other two turned to him, unreadable expressions on their faces.

"Kai-kun is very used to hiding things, especially his pain. I was hoping that he would know that we are all supporting him but it seems that he still wants to deal with it on his own. He still needs some time." Miwa gave a sad smile to support Aichi's point, as if to reminisce all the times he had comforted Kai when the other cracked under pressure. It was never pretty and Miwa knew not to tell anyone about Kai's periodic breakdowns. He sighed.

"He'll come around if it's something major," he said as he parted ways with the two bluenets.

* * *

Kai flopped down on his bed. He couldn't take this. Why did the world hate him? He felt the tears sting the side of his eyes as he recounted the conversation with his aunt.

_ "__Toshiki... be careful," his aunt said. Kai gave her a confused look._

_ "__What do you mean?" he asked. His aunt carefully looked around, as if searching for something or someone eavesdropping on their conversation._

_ "__Your uncle was murdered. But there was a note next to him. The police didn't want this to go public but the note was coded and said that anyone close to you would be in danger. Toshiki, you have to promise me that you'll take care of yourself!" Kai stared at the woman who had taken care of him since his parents died. She might as well be his second mother. She was warm and kind just like his birth mother. He gave her his word. The stress and tension visibly left her features and she enveloped her nephew in a warm hug underneath the shelter of her umbrella._

He felt the tears run down his cheeks and he made no move to stop them. Why? Why did it have to be him? Every single time, it was always him! Kai felt himself fall deeper and deeper into despair. He was brought out of his self-pity when his home phone rang. He sniffed and tried to regain his composure before picking up.

* * *

"Hello?" he asked, as normally as he could. There was a pause on the other end, as if the person knew that he had been crying before a bright voice chirped,

"Hey, Kai! I called because… well I got bored and I didn't want to do my homework!" Kai could see through his best friend's fake enthusiasm easily but it did cheer him up a little that someone cared about him. He tried not to sniffle as he answered,

"Well you should do your homework, Miwa. You want to get into the same university as Tokura, right?" The brunet heard a yelp on the other end and immediately knew that he was right.

"H-How did you know that?" the blond asked. Kai laughed softly.

"It's written plain as day across your face." Kai could practically hear his childhood friend pout before they moved on to less intimidating matters. Kai himself still hadn't figured out where he wanted to go. He had gotten tons of offers from universities and colleges alike, but he had also received numerous invitations from pro circuits around the world. Eventually, the two boys hung up on their phone conversation. Kai turned on the T.V in front of his bed and flipped to the news channel. He let it play in the background as he prepared his dinner. He was in the mood for fried rice today.

* * *

He was in the middle of pouring the sauce into his rice when the familiar tone of "breaking news" came on. He listened intently to the announcer and later wished that he hadn't.

_"__Breaking news! Details of a coded note from the killer of Kai Shinji, deceased uncle of the famous cardfighter, Kai Toshiki, have been disclosed! Authorities claim that the killer may not mean anything by the coded threat that has stumped even our best detectives. It is unknown whether or not there is a target behind the killings._

Kai turned the T.V off. He didn't want to listen to anymore. He felt the dread settle in his stomach and realised dully that his rice was burning. Kai sighed and took it off the stove. Suddenly, he didn't feel like eating anymore. He set the burnt food aside and flopped onto his bed. He was so tired of everything. He soon fell into a difficult slumber.

* * *

That's all! About the code, his aunt can solve it because the code is in a special kind of family code I guess. No one in the police knows the code; only members of the Kai family do.


	3. Chapter 3

Ah, it's been a while! Sorry, I've been super busy. Here's the next chapter!

**Review replies:**

AsterDragElf: Glad you like it! Here you go~

Eclairia: Haha, took a lot longer this time. But here it is!

ScarletBloomSword: Here it is! Long awaited 3rd chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Read and review!

* * *

**Last time...**

_"__Breaking news! Details of a coded note from the killer of Kai Shinji, deceased uncle of the famous cardfighter, Kai Toshiki, have been disclosed! Authorities claim that the killer may not mean anything by the coded threat that has stumped even our best detectives. It is unknown whether or not there is a target behind the killings."_

Kai turned the T.V off. He didn't want to listen to anymore. He felt the dread settle in his stomach and realised dully that his rice was burning. Kai sighed and took it off the stove. Suddenly, he didn't feel like eating anymore. He set the burnt food aside and flopped onto his bed. He was so tired of everything. He soon fell into a difficult slumber.

* * *

A week later, Kai had calmed down some. Nothing had happened in particular that had pinpointed him as a target of anything and he hadn't heard from his aunt. A nagging feeling at the back of his mind reminded him that she might be dead for all he knew but he chose to live in denial of that possibility. He sighed as he lay down on the park bench to take a nap. It was a warm fall day with a light breeze blowing. It was one of Kai's favourite kinds of days; calm and warm. He let his eyes shut slowly and let himself be lulled into a light slumber by the warm breeze.

* * *

_Kai stomped up the steps to his room. How could his parents do this to him? Just because there was something dangerous in the area, they wouldn't let him go to soccer practice with Miwa. This was totally unfair! It wasn't like he would get caught up in it! He vaguely heard his father calling him. Kai simply slammed his door and yelled,_

_"I hate you! I don't want to see you again!" He plopped onto his bed face first and hugged his pillow. Soon, he fell asleep, after rolling around in the covers. His bed was just too comfortable._

_Kai was awakened by the sound of screaming and crashing from downstairs. He frowned. Something wasn't right. He quietly crept down the stairs, only to hear his mother's scream. Kai trembled in fear._

_"M-Mommy? Daddy?" He quickly ran down the steps to be greeted by a scene that would forever haunt his nightmares. The hideous splatters of blood littered the clean floor that had been cleaned just a few days earlier. His father's unseeing teal eyes, from which Kai had inherited his own, stared blankly at his son's. His mother's light brown hair was matted thick with blood and the entire room reeked of iron. The smell made Kai want to retch. He heard heavy footsteps from behind him and before he could let out a scream, the intruder was upon him with a bloodied knife and a crooked smile._

* * *

Kai sat up in a cold sweat. He hadn't dreamed of that in a long time. Why did it come up now? He propped himself off the bench and made his way to Card Capital. He was about two steps from triggering the automatic door when his cell phone rang. He slowly took it out of his pocket, the familiar sense of dread sinking in when he read the caller I.D. It was his cousin. He shakily took the call.

"Hello?" he asked quietly. He listened intently to what the other had to say. The call lasted no longer than two minutes, but those two minutes might have been two of the most painful minutes of his life. Kai bid farewell to his cousin and began to walk away from Card Capital. He didn't feel like playing anymore. Three figures watched the lonely brunet go.

* * *

"Why won't he say anything?" Gaillard asked. Miwa just shook his head.

"He'll only say something if it really gets bad. That's the kind of guy he is, even though he's made progress from before." Aichi gave a sad smile as he watched Kai's figure retreat into the distance. _When are you going to say something, Kai-kun? We can all tell you're in pain…_

Kai locked the door of his apartment. How much more would he have to endure in this life? Could he just end it so that the rest of his family could be spared? He seriously contemplated the idea while his home phone rang again. This time, he was too fed up with anything to answer it. He let the phone ring and ring until his voicemail finally came on. It turned out that the call was from Aichi this time. Kai raised an eyebrow at this; since when did Aichi have his home phone? The message he left was anticipated; that he was worried, that all his friends were here for him and that they would all listen and help him through this, whatever it was. That was very nice and uplifting to Kai and all, but right now, he just wanted to be alone. After roughly half an hour, the phone rang again. Again, Kai was too exhausted and upset to answer. He continued to let the phone ring. His answering machine came on again and he was surprised to find that this time was from Gaillard. Over the course of the day, he received more phone calls, all of which were from the group from Card Capital. Kai raised his eyebrows to this and briefly wondered if one of them had found out what had happened. _No. That's impossible_, he told himself. The brunet sighed and got into bed. He didn't feel like dealing with anything more today. Not to mention, the funeral for his aunt was tomorrow. Naturally, she had wanted to be buried next to her husband. Kai silently wished he never had to go to another funeral again after this. He closed his eyes and fell into a fitful slumber.

* * *

Kai watched as his aunt's casket was lowered into the hole in the earth. To be honest, he was exhausted. He had hardly slept the night before because every time he tried, he would relive that nightmare of his parents' deaths. To make things worse, his uncle and aunt were periodically in them, moaning about how it was his fault that they were dead. He had woken up in a cold sweat more times than he could count. Kai sighed a placed a hand to his forehead. He had a giant headache.

The funeral ended on the same note as the deceased's husband: low. Kai walked out of the cemetery with his head low. His eyes were hurting; they were probably sore from all the crying he had been doing lately. Kai looked up when he bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry…" he started, when he realised just who it was that he had bumped into. "Ren." The aforementioned redhead was about to make a joke when he realised the state his best friend was in.

"Kai… your eyes are red. And you look exhausted. What happened?" Kai simply looked away. He didn't want to drag anyone else into this. This was his problem. So he simply continued to walk, brushing off Ren's calls after him.

Ren sighed. There was most definitely something bugging Kai. But the brunet was as secretive as ever and there was little to no chance that he would get any information out of him. The redhead was lost in his thoughts and ended up repeating what Kai had done to him: bump into someone.

"Sorry," he mumbled. He was surprised to hear a response from the other.

"Suzugamori Ren?" He looked up to find himself looking at none other than Olivier Gaillard. Ren smiled.

"Gaillard-kun. How are you?" The bluenet nodded in response. He had something more important to ask Ren.

"Was that Kai that just left?" The redhead nodded and put on a thoughtful face.

"Yeah. But he seemed troubled. Has something happened?" Gaillard frowned as he proceeded to recall the events from the past few weeks. By the end of it, Ren was scowling.

"How dare that person do that to Kai..." he seethed. Ren politely thanked Gaillard for the information and stalked back to Foo Fighter HQ. There had to be something he could find out.

* * *

Miwa made his way to Kai's apartment. He hadn't seen the brunet for a while and the last time the two had met, Kai looked like he was about to keel over and faint. He had brought some of Kai's favourite coffee mix over and thought that maybe the two of them could talk things over over a cup of coffee. When Miwa rang the doorbell, he hadn't expected to see Kai the way he was. His best friend's eyes were rimmed red, as if he had just finished crying, and dark bags were visible under his eyes. Kai looked haunted. Miwa allowed himself a moment of shock before shaking his head and bringing back his signature smile.

"I've got your favourite coffee. Want some?"

* * *

Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! To be honest I don't remember when I last updated this XP but hopefully you didn't wait too long!

Review replies:

AsterDragElf: **Mm, I like angst too~ Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

cardfight dreammer: **Thank you! I'm glad you liked The Girl is Mine! I'm glad you like my writing!**

Eclairia: **Mmhmm, I try XD. Here you go!**

Disclaimer: I don't own them!

Read and Review!

* * *

_Last Time..._

_Miwa made his way to Kai's apartment. He hadn't seen the brunet for a while and the last time the two had met, Kai looked like he was about to keel over and faint. He had brought some of Kai's favourite coffee mix over and thought that maybe the two of them could talk things over over a cup of coffee. When Miwa rang the doorbell, he hadn't expected to see Kai the way he was. His best friend's eyes were rimmed red, as if he had just finished crying, and dark bags were visible under his eyes. Kai looked haunted. Miwa allowed himself a moment of shock before shaking his head and bringing back his signature smile._

_"I've got your favourite coffee. Want some?"_

* * *

Chapter 4

In the three hours that Miwa had been there, Kai had not said a word to him. He just sat there silently, staring at his cup, taking a sip every once in a while. It was getting late. Kai clearly did not want to talk about things with him. The blond sighed and began to gather his things. He would respect Kai's wishes for now. But before he left, he scooped the still brunet into a hug.

"We'll always be there for you ok? I hope you tell us what's bothering you soon." With that, he left the apartment.

* * *

Kai curled into himself. He hated feeling like this. He hated worrying Miwa and the others. But he couldn't fight this feeling of guilt. It was all his fault. It was his fault that his aunt and his uncle and anyone else who would be caught in the tragedy were involved. He buried his head in his knees. He just wanted this nightmare to be over.

* * *

Days passed as Kai heard nothing more from his cousin. He prayed with all his heart that he was alive and well. He was at his Cardfight Club's meeting; he hadn't been in a while, and thought that he needed a change in pace. He had already played a couple of games against Miwa and Izaki, with Morikawa screeching in the background. He ended up finishing his club activities without so much as a hitch. He was on his way home with Miwa when his cell phone rang. His heart dropped to his stomach. Ignoring Miwa's concerned look, he accepted the call. He was relieved to find that it was only Ren. The redhead inquired about what was going on and why Kai hadn't told him a thing. Kai sighed in exasperation. He let the redhead chatter in his ear while he walked with Miwa, throwing in an occasional word in his own defense. Ren hung up shortly after, laughing about how he seemed fine now and much better than the state the redhead had caught him in days earlier.

Miwa smiled. Despite the fact that Kai looked utterly exhausted, he caught the sincere smiles that escaped him when he was chatting with Ren. The brunet seemed to be dealing much better than before. At least he didn't look absolutely dead to the world. He never wanted to see that lifeless look in his best friend's eyes ever again. Just when he was about to start a conversation, Kai's phone rang again. Miwa's heart sank to his stomach. He didn't know what it was, but he had a really bad feeling about this.

Kai frowned. It couldn't have been Ren this time. Ren wouldn't call so many times in such a small frame of time. The brunet hesitantly picked up. Miwa watched as Kai's features slowly contorted into dread, fear and finally, relief as teal eyes rolled up in his head and Kai passed out on the streets.

* * *

Kai woke up to a comforting warmth. Teal eyes opened slowly and tiredly as they looked around slowly. This was… his apartment. He soon became aware of muffled voices around him. He shifted his head and found that a cool cloth that had initially been placed upon his forehead now slipped off. Kai winced. He hadn't realized what bliss that cloth had been providing him. Thankfully, the cloth was repositioned onto his forehead, just as he was able to discern the figures at his bedside.

"G-Gaillard… Aichi…?" he mumbled, his mind still not completely awake. The two bluenets gave gentle smiles, cleverly masked concern adorning both of their faces.

"Welcome back, Kai-kun. How did you sleep?" Aichi asked. Kai frowned. He didn't remember being with Aichi or Gaillard… he had been with Miwa. Speaking of which, where was the blond? It wasn't like Miwa to leave Kai, especially given what had happened. As if being called telepathically, Miwa burst through the door.

"Kai! Are you ok? You just fainted in the street! It's been two days!" Bleary eyes blinked. He had a massive headache. Had he really been out for two days? He tried to remember what he had been doing before his little episode. Just like that, the memories of what had happened on the street and who he had been on the phone with came flooding back. The brunet grimaced at the recollection but also felt a bit of relief. However, Kai wouldn't believe it until he confirmed it. Weakly, he tugged on the closest person to him's sleeve, who happened to be Gaillard.

"Turn on the news…" he requested weakly. Gaillard frowned at the action, but complied nonetheless. The click of the television frayed Kai's nerves and each word that came out of the announcer's mouth was like a 10 pound weight added onto Kai's shoulders.

"The serial killer after the Kai family was finally captured two days ago! However, authorities regret to inform us that the killer escaped just a few hours earlier. He left behind a single note saying, 'I'm coming.'" And with that, Miwa shut the television off with a frown and Aichi reached forward just in time to catch a fainting Kai. A quick hand on his forehead indicated to them all that the brunet had indeed acquired a fever. Miwa sighed at his best friend's state. Why hadn't he taken better care of himself? Aichi gave him a soft and reassuring smile and took the damp cloth that had previously rested on Kai's brow to exchange it for another. Gaillard frowned at the brunet's sleeping form. He was still waiting for him to tell them what was bothering him.

* * *

When Kai woke up a few hours later, after thanking them for taking care of him, he immediately attempted to usher everyone out of his apartment. He wanted to be alone right then. But they all saw through his pain and demanded that he allow them to stay. In the end, Kai couldn't argue with them. It wasn't until late into the evening that they left. However, they all promised that they would check up on him at some point in the week. Kai managed a weak smile of gratitude and sent them off. When he was sure that they were all an adequate distance away, he closed his door with a soft click and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. He brought his fist to the door.

"Damn it…"

* * *

Well that's that! Hope you enjoyed it! Until next time!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! I have a snow day today so guess what I'm doing? That's right~ And now I present to you the fruits of my work today!

Review replies

**Eclaria:** Mmm, I'm glad I've got some free time to write XD Well, some more things happen in this chapter! Hope you enjoy~

**cardfight dreammer:** Mm, thank you! It'll happen at some point...maybe XP

**Guest:** Glad you like it! Here you go~

**AsterDragElf:** Mmm, I try~ He'll be ok at some point

**Knight of the Wolves:** I'm glad you like it! I hope it meets your expectations!

Disclaimer: I don't own them

Read and review!

* * *

_Last time..._

_When Kai woke up a few hours later, after thanking them for taking care of him, he immediately attempted to usher everyone out of his apartment. He wanted to be alone right then. But they all saw through his pain and demanded that he allow them to stay. In the end, Kai couldn't argue with them. It wasn't until late into the evening that they left. However, they all promised that they would check up on him at some point in the week. Kai managed a weak smile of gratitude and sent them off. When he was sure that they were all an adequate distance away, he closed his door with a soft click and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. He brought his fist to the door._

_"Damn it…"_

* * *

Weeks passed. Everyone noticed the subtle changes in Kai, from his unease in public to the dark bags that had gathered under his eyes. Gaillard doubted that he had slept since he had come over just last week. He, Miwa and Aichi had visited him a week earlier, which marked the fortnight of Kai's collapse, and the brunet looked like he was on the verge of fainting again. Gaillard knew that the two had their differences, but he was never one to ignore a friend in need. And so that was how he found himself knocking on Kai's door when he should've been relaxing at Card Capital. He rang doorbell twice. When he didn't hear anyone there, he turned to leave. That was when he noticed a shadow around the corner. He raised an eyebrow. Had Kai come back? He turned the corner and gasped. Before he could scream, a rough hand was placed over his mouth, covering it, and a maniac grin flashed. And then there was pain. So much pain.

* * *

Kai walked with Miwa back to his apartment. The two had spent the day at Miwa's house, the blond trying to take his friend's mind off of things. The blond had succeeded for a while; he had caught glimpses of the soft smile that was so rare nowadays. He felt quite proud of himself. But just as they got out of the elevator, a pungent smell assaulted his nostrils. Miwa had to plug his nose. It made him want to barf on the spot. What in the world was that smell? He turned to Kai, about to voice his questions when he noticed how pale his best friend had gone. The brunet shakily took steps forward, closer to where a red puddle was seeping out from. Miwa slowly followed. Looks like all his hard work this afternoon just went down the drain.

Dark blue hair matted thick with blood lay in front of them. The normally striking orange eyes were dull and hazy. His usual white attire was now stained almost completely crimson. It took all Miwa had not to vomit on the spot. Slowly, his gray eyes made their way to the wall. Smeared in blood and written in all capitals, the words "I'm coming for you" were messily scrawled. Miwa turned to Kai. The poor brunet looked like he was about to pass out again. But Miwa didn't blame him. Quietly, he shielded Kai's eyes from anymore of the carnage and quickly led him to his apartment door. He grabbed the spare key hidden under the mat and unlocked the door to Kai's home. Miwa left for a short time to brew some hot chocolate for the two of them. It looked like they would both need it. But not before calling an ambulance for Gaillard.

* * *

The paramedics came and left as quickly as they came. Miwa was left with a very silent brunet sitting on his bed. Of course, Miwa couldn't really blame Kai for clamming up. Anyone would be shocked after what the two of them just saw. Miwa slowly moved beside Kai on the bed and watched sadly as he flinched away at first. Miwa put a comforting arm around Kai's shoulders and pulled him into a sideways hug.

"Kai… I know things have been hard for you. I don't even know what you're going through. Please, will you tell me a little bit about what's been going on? I want to help you… Everyone does." Kai made a sniffling sound and buried his face into Miwa's shoulder before letting out heart wrenching wails. The blond patted the other's head and ran his fingers through the soft brown hair, whispering reassuring words of comfort.

When Kai calmed down, it was already late into the night. Miwa asked if he could stay over, which Kai readily agreed to. After a quick phone call home, Miwa was eating Kai's homemade fried rice. Needless to say, it was amazing. But it lacked a certain "feel" to it. The food was emotionally bland, Miwa thought. There was definitely something bugging Kai. Kai himself was close to revealing what it was but Miwa wouldn't push until he was ready. The two got ready for bed and by the time Miwa came out of the bathroom, the spare futon was already set out and Kai was fast asleep.

* * *

When morning arrived, Kai was nowhere to be seen. Miwa turned the apartment upside down looking for him and after roughly 20 minutes, realised that the brunet had left. His toothbrush was gone as well as a few sets of clothes and his deck and any other essentials. Miwa frowned. He quickly sent a mass text to everyone who was able and informed them of the situation. Almost immediately, replies flooded his phone with affirmative responses to joining his search party. Miwa himself grabbed his coat and locked the door behind him, his thoughts filled with the missing brunet.

Kai stood outside the train station. Was he really going to go through with this? Did he really want to leave all of his friends? His mates? Kai closed his eyes. Yes. This was for the best. He didn't want _that man_ to get to them. They had already gotten to Gaillard. He couldn't let them hurt anybody else. As he was about to step into the station, he heard someone call his name. Immediately, he picked up his pace. He knew that voice anywhere and there was no way that he was going to be convinced out of what he was going to do. Kai continued to briskly walk towards the station, only to have his path cut off by another one of his mates. Of course Naoki had to be the one to block him. He was as stubborn as an ox. It was because of that momentary pause that Aichi caught up to him. Kai didn't dare turn around. He didn't want to see the look on his friend's face.

"Kai-kun… why are you running away?" he asked gently. Kai clenched his fist. He wanted nothing more than this burden to be off his shoulders. But how could he without dying? At least if he left, his friends wouldn't be there to get caught up in the mess.

"Kai, stop being stubborn! You know we want to help you! Why don't you just let us in?!" the vice captain of the Miyaji cardfight club scolded. Kai frowned. Could he let them in? Could he share this huge burden? At that moment, the others arrived as well. Of course Aichi had thought to contact everyone else about his whereabouts. Gentle words came from everyone, pleading- some even begging- for him to tell them what was going on. From the looks of things, they all knew what had happened to Gaillard. The overwhelming guilt was crushing. He couldn't do this alone anymore. He needed help. Kai looked up, sorrow blatant in his teal eyes.

"I'll tell you… but after that you'll wish you'd never met me."

* * *

How was it? Leave a review for me please? ;)


	6. Chapter 6

Man have I got a treat for your guys! A longer chapter than usual! Consider it an early Christmas present of sorts ;)

Review replies:

**AsterDragElf:** Mmmhmm! Lotsa action in this chapter~

**Eclairia: **I felt a little bad doing that to him. But that's nothing compared to what happens in this one.

**cardfight dreammer:** Hopefully that's a good thing, haha. Enjoy the chapter~

**XX: **Haha, I quite like cliffhangers~ Sorry!

**WARNINGS: BLOOD AND DARK THEMES. BEWARE.**

Disclaimer: I don't own CFV or it's characters. Only my OC.

Read and Review!

* * *

_Last time..._

_"Kai, stop being stubborn! You know we want to help you! Why don't you just let us in?!" the vice captain of the Miyaji cardfight club scolded. Kai frowned. Could he let them in? Could he share this huge burden? At that moment, the others arrived as well. Of course Aichi had thought to contact everyone else about his whereabouts. Gentle words came from everyone, pleading- some even begging- for him to tell them what was going on. From the looks of things, they all knew what had happened to Gaillard. The overwhelming guilt was crushing. He couldn't do this alone anymore. He needed help. Kai looked up, sorrow blatant in his teal eyes._

_"I'll tell you… but after that you'll wish you'd never met me."_

* * *

Kai brought them all back to his apartment. It was a bit of a snug fit but they managed. And once everyone sat down and was mildly comfortable, Kai began his story. From the first phone call at Card Capital about his uncle's death to finding Gaillard's body around the corner of his apartment, Kai's voice did not waver as much as everyone expected it to. Once the brunet was done, no one dared move for a minute. It was a lot to take in. After all, it wasn't everyday that someone wanted one of their friends dead.

Kai took their silence the wrong way. He thought that they were shutting him out now. With a shaky sigh, he pushed himself off of his bed and made his way towards the door. He could leave in peace this time. Just as he was about to reach the doorknob, he felt someone's hand clamp down on his wrist. He slowly turned and found him face to face with Ren. An angered look danced in his red eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked. Kai did all he could to remain stoic and calm.

"I'm continuing what I was doing earlier; I'm leaving here." Ren scowled and hit the brunet upside the head. Clutching his now injured head, Kai all but gawked at his childhood friend. Ren had never hit him! Never!

"You listen here, Kai Toshiki," Ren began and Kai found himself unable to look away from Ren's penetrating gaze. "There is absolutely _no way_ we are letting you leave after you told us that. You're just going to get targeted and die with no one there to save you. You think we want that? Of course not! Who do you take us for? So you're staying. End of discussion. It's not your choice to make." Kai allowed his surprise to show. His friends didn't hate him? They didn't not want anything to do with him? He scanned the room. Every single occupant looked at him with concerned looks as well as pleading ones. Kai looked down at the ground and mumbled,

"Thanks…"

* * *

A couple of days passed by uneventfully. Kai was still very uncomfortable in public, but this time everyone knew why. The killer was still out there and he was probably going after Kai next. For this reason, Kai was always with one of his friends, even if they had to sleep over at his apartment to make sure that happened. Today, Kamui was with Kai. Everyone felt unsure with leaving Kai _only_ with Kamui; heck even Kamui himself was against it. But everyone else had something going on and it left no other choice. The two were walking down the street when Kai stopped and stiffened perceptibly. He felt a pair of eyes watching him. The black haired boy with him looked at him with concern. What was wrong? Kai glanced around. There was no one in sight. He sighed and gave a small smile to Kamui, reassuring the younger that he was ok. Shrugging it off, Kamui continued on with Kai beside him. But the two didn't notice a man peek out from behind an alley and watch them.

Soon, they reached Kai's apartment complex. Kamui had to go home so he waved to the brunet and began to head home. Kai returned the gesture and turned around only to find himself staring into deranged red eyes. For a minute, Kai just stood there. He couldn't process what was happening in front of him. The man in front of him grinned. And just like that, Kai ran, only to find the man in hot pursuit of him.

The man grinned. The raw _fear_ those beautiful teal eyes had contained made him swoon. He was happy that _he_ was the cause of that utter terror. He grinned. He had longed to see that horrified expression for 8 years. And oh was he ever going to savour it. _Let the game of cat and mouse begin_, he thought.

Kai's lungs burned. He wouldn't think of screaming for help now. He needed as much oxygen as he could get. He didn't know how long he had been running now but that didn't change the fact that he was going to continue running. He took a short break for a minute and leaned against the wall of an alley. A resounding crack broke through the night silence and a searing pain travelled up Kai's left leg. Whipping his head down so fast it almost gave him whiplash, Kai was shocked to find blood staining his pant leg. He growled. Now escape was just that much harder.

* * *

Miwa made his way over to Kai's apartment. It was his turn to "guard" the brunet. When he came up to the door, he knocked and awaited an answer. When he didn't get one, his concern grew. He knocked again.

"Kai…?" he asked uncertainly. There was no response. Panic rising, he grabbed the key under the mat and let himself in.

Needless to say, the place didn't look lived in yesterday. It was exactly how Miwa remembered it from the day before yesterday. He frowned. Had something happened? Heart pounding, he raced down the stairs and made it to the main desk. The man at the desk looked at him in confusion. The blond was obviously very bothered by something.

"Did… Kai come… home yesterday?" he asked in between pants. The man seemed to think. Miwa clenched his fists. Faster damn it! He needed to know if his friend was ok!

"No… I don't believe so," was all that Miwa needed to hear before running out of the complex and towards Card Capital.

* * *

Kai leaned against a wall and tried to catch his breath. He winced as pain shot up both of his legs as well as his shoulder. Damn that man and his accuracy with a gun. He would never forget how he had run away like this too, back when he was a kid, the night his parents were murdered.

Wait a minute…

Kai turned back to the man as he advanced towards him. Kai grit his teeth and tried to stand as best as he could. Furious teal met giddy red. Kai eased himself of the wall, shaking with rage.

"It was you… Eight years ago. _You _were the one who killed my parents." He watched as red eyes lit up in childish joy. If the man wasn't holding a gun trained on him, he might've thought that he was harmless.

"It's about time you remembered. I thought you never would," the killer grinned. Kai felt enraged. Why did he want to make Kai's life a living hell _again_? Hadn't he done that 8 years ago? The man seemed to read his thoughts and smiled widely.

"You're wondering why I'm going after you after I killed your parents." Kai scowled but said nothing. The smile widened. "True, it was heavenly when I stabbed your parents; oh the looks on their faces while they bled out were _delicious_. But that was _nothing_ compared to _your_ expression. Yours was incomparable to anyone's that I've ever seen! For the past 8 years I've dreamed of _nothing_ but seeing that look in your eyes again as I slowly kill you! And now I'm finally living that dream out! So amuse me! Run and hide like the prey you are!" Kai didn't need to be told twice. He turned and bolted out of his most recent hideaway alley. The man grinned after him and he cocked his gun.

"But know this. Wherever you run or hide, I will _always_ find you. And when I get bored, **I'll kill you.**"

* * *

Miwa burst into the shop, a crazy look in his eyes. Everyone turned to him. Anyone who didn't know him went back to their own business but the rest of them made their way to him.

"Miwa, what's wrong? Where's Kai?" Misaki asked. Miwa heaved in sweet, sweet oxygen as he tried to get his own question out.

"H-Has… Kai been… here today?" Confused looks were exchanged. Aichi turned to him.

"We thought you were with him, Miwa-kun. Has something happened?" Uncharacteristically, Miwa ignored the bluenet's question and turned to the one who was with him yesterday.

"Did Kai go home yesterday?" he demanded. The middle schooler shrunk away and nodded vigorously. Miwa clicked his tongue. Then what the heck had happened?! He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to stare into the aqua eyes of Misaki.

"Calm down and tell us what happened, Miwa."

By the end of Miwa's story, the entire group was downcast. As things were, Miwa was currently calling Kai on his cell phone while the rest watched on silently. Just when Miwa was about to hang up, the dialing tone stopped and was replaced with laboured breathing. Miwa straightened as if he had been shocked.

"Kai!" Just like that, the entire group was on their feet. Miwa was firing so many questions at the poor brunet that he didn't have any time to answer them.

"Where are you?!" he demanded for the umpteenth time in his frenzy of questions. He didn't get much of an answer since a crack was heard on Kai's end and a hiss of pain followed.

"Kai? Are you ok? Say something!" Miwa pleaded. Pants came through on Kai's end but he managed to mumble something akin to a 'yes'. Just as Miwa was about to inquire his location again, another crack was heard and the line was cut. Miwa stared blankly at his phone. What had just happened? Panicking, he called the police. Everyone else tried to get him to calm down but he would have none of it. After hysterically explaining the situation to the operator, he was assured that the force would be sent out to look for the missing brunet immediately. Miwa frowned and set out to look for his best friend himself, followed by the rest of the group.

* * *

Kai panted. How much longer did he have to run? He was so close to just collapsing, especially since he was nursing all those bullet wounds. He slid down the wall he was leaning against only to gasp out as he already wounded shoulder was shot again. He grunted and leaned forward, clutching the wound. His killer advanced. Kai looked up and glared. Now that he knew what this man wanted, he wasn't about to give it to him. The man pouted childishly. Again, it amazed Kai how someone so evil could look so… innocent, for lack of a better word. The man bent down to his eye level.

"Come on… why won't you get that look again? You know I want to see it…" Kai turned away, refusing to look at the person in front of him, if he could even be called that. A harsh slap was what he got for his defiance. He coughed a little, only to find that his throat felt strangely raw. He licked his lips and found a metallic scent registering on his taste buds. Great. Now he was coughing blood. He looked at the hand that he had been slapped with. In its grasp, the gun was there. Of course the damned man had hit him with his gun.

The crazy man leaned forward, uncomfortably so, staring into Kai's teal eyes. He gave a twisted smile.

"You know… your eyes are beautiful… it makes me want to take them from you…" he started as Kai watched in fear as a knife was pulled from behind him and moved towards his left eye. Kai sat there, frozen in fear. It was only when the blade gently glided along the outline of his eye that he finally snapped out of it and using his good hand, twisted the man's wrist as much as he could. He felt sickened when he heard a distinct snap, but didn't think much of it since the knife was off his face, despite the long gash right above his eye. He started running. Kai winced as the blood dripped down and into his eye. He wiped the blood away, only to have it continue bleeding. He should've known. Now he was running half blind. As if things couldn't get any worse.

* * *

Misaki ran blindly. Where _was_ he?! They had to have searched the entire city by now, with the police as well as their group from the store. It had been hours since Miwa called Kai! How could none of the groups have come across him?! The lavender haired girl frowned. She had found herself in a sketchy part of town. She was so busy looking for Kai that she hadn't noticed where she had been running. She shivered. This place was giving her the creeps. As she turned to head back, she stopped when she heard something echo. That was strange. She was the only one here right? Going against her instincts which screamed at her to run away, Misaki ran towards the origin of the sound, texting Miwa that she had heard something funny.

Miwa frowned at the new text. "Something peculiar"? As in what? The blond sent a text back to his friend, asking for clarification. Minutes passed in tense silence as the gray eyed boy stared at his phone. It wasn't until Miwa thought about putting his phone away when it chirped. When he read it, Miwa could only stare at the message before frantically beckoning the policeman he had been with over to him.

_I found him, Miwa._

* * *

Well that was kind of a jerk move of me? This is a bigger cliffhanger than last chapter! Please don't kill me! If you do, how can I write the next one? Until then!


	7. Chapter 7

Hello! I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter, haha. Sorry to put that huge cliffhanger on you. In case anyone was wondering, I didn't put a name for the murderer in a way to dehumanise him sort of. He was insane and acted like an animal so I brought him down to the level of one, so to speak. Also, at the end, you'll see that I kind of tried to make it sync up with the actual Legion Mate ending. So spoilers(?) if you haven't watched it! Anyways, last chapter guys! This was dedicated to AsterDragElf. Hope it was up to your expectations!

Review replies:

**Eclairia:**Hope it wasn't too long of a wait! Glad it was suspenseful. That's what I was going for~

**cardfight dreammer:** Mmm, thank you! Yeah, I like Kai's eyes too. They're a very nice colour.

**Itadakimasu: **Here you go! Hope you like it!

**AsterDragElf:** Mmhmm, cliffhangers are pretty fun to write. Sorry to you guys though XD Here's the next and last update!

Read and Review!

* * *

_Last time..._

_Miwa frowned at the new text. "Something peculiar"? As in what? The blond sent a text back to his friend, asking for clarification. Minutes passed in tense silence as the gray eyed boy stared at his phone. It wasn't until Miwa thought about putting his phone away when it chirped. When he read it, Miwa could only stare at the message before frantically beckoning the policeman he had been with over to him._

_I found him, Miwa._

* * *

Said brunet was leaning against the wall, utterly exhausted. He couldn't run anymore. The wounds in his legs were making it too painful, not to mention that the blood in his eye wasn't helping his case either. He watched silently as the blood from his wounds accumulated into a deep red puddle around him. His killer rounded the corner and grinned in the state he found the brunet in. Kai sighed. _Is this it? Am I going to die here? There was so much I still wanted to do…_, he thought tiredly as he watched the knife rise above his chest. His pursuer had long since run out of bullets, thank goodness for that. Kai chuckled at how silly that sounded. He was still going to die wasn't he? What difference did it make how he did? Kai closed his eyes and waited for pain to blossom in his chest.

It never did. A distinct bang was heard a ways off and before Kai knew what was happening, the man in front of him dropped dead. Kai sat there, visibly shocked when he heard footsteps coming up to him.

"Kai!" he heard. He turned towards the source, only to be tackled to the floor in a hug. A tuft of blond hair. Kai would recognize that anywhere.

"M-Miwa…" he protested weakly. The unknowing blond was putting pressure on his injuries. It seemed like an eternity before Miwa finally let go of him. He turned to look at the rest of the group. Of course, the police were there but he hadn't expected to see Misaki. Had she been the one to find out his location? Before he could get a word out of his mouth, he felt his vision swim. He would've passed out on the floor too, if he Miwa hadn't caught him. He vaguely registered with his good eye that Miwa looked concerned for something and he was talking. But what was he saying? Kai couldn't make out the words. Muffled shouting was in the background. Why couldn't everyone just be quiet? He wanted to sleep…

* * *

Kai woke to the sound of obnoxious beeping. He immediately scowled. Someone turn that thing off… he complained to himself. It was only when he heard gasping that he realised that he had said that out loud.

"Kai? Can you open your eyes?" a voice asked. That voice sounded familiar. Who was it again? He should know this…

"Kai, please?" There it was again. Who was it… A light bulb went off just as Kai's teal eyes flashed open. Miwa. That was it. Kai immediately recoiled and hissed at the bright lights. Slowly, he reopened his eyes once he adjusted to seeing again. Above him was the extremely concerned Miwa while beside him were his equally as concerned mates. As he tried to bring himself into a sitting position, he felt many hands push him back down. He glared but it didn't have the intended effect. After all, you can't really be intimidating while sitting in a hospital bed. It didn't take long for Kai to give up and lie back down on his bed. Teal eyes turned to watch everyone in the room. They all looked fine enough. What had happened after he fainted? His eyelids fluttered. He was so tired all of a sudden. He stifled a yawn that wasn't missed by most of the other occupants of the room. The blanket was placed over him.

"Sleep well, Kai."

* * *

Miwa closed the door to his friend's hospital room quietly. It was good to know that Kai was alright now. He could still remember how scared he had been when Kai had fainted in his arms.

_"Kai? Kai! Say something!" Miwa shouted as he shook the limp figure in his arms. The brunet was so pale and cold it scared Miwa. He needed to know that his best friend was alright. But the boy in his arms showed no signs of response. Miwa vaguely registered a policeman on his phone, demanding for an ambulance. Good. At least that was coming soon. He saw Misaki out of the corner of his eye approach him and place two fingers on Kai's neck, where his pulse was. He saw blue eyes widen and immediately feared for the worst. He hugged the brunet's limp form tightly and ignored the red liquid seeping into and staining his clothes. Sirens blared in the distance but Miwa couldn't genuinely feel happy, knowing that they still might be too late. That was the first time Miwa cried for his best friend._

He felt a hand on his shoulder as Ren gave him a look of comfort. He brought his other hand the gripped onto the redhead's for support. Kai was alright now. There was no need to worry. The blond gave a weak smile to the rest of the group as they all headed out for lunch.

* * *

A month passed. During the time that Kai was still injured, he had gotten sick of just sitting in the hospital doing nothing, so his cardfight club had taken the liberty of temporarily moving their club activities to his room. Needless to say, Morikawa and Izaki were surprised when they found their vice captain lying in a hospital bed, bandages covering a good portion of his body. Kai had given them his infamous glare, albeit to a much lesser degree, and that had gotten them to shut up and start cardfighting. The brunet had had some initial difficulty, especially with the worst wound he has received being on his shoulder, but as time passed, the discomfort left and the injury healed at its own pace. Kai had recovered slowly but surely, the injuries to his body becoming nothing but a faded memory. However, the mental scars still remained. The animalistic fear that he had felt at the time and the pure desperation clung to him like wet clothes. But his friends were very understanding about his situation, as was the hospital. They had even brought a counselor for him. True, it had taken more than a few sessions to actually get Kai to talk to the man but the events of that day trickled out bit by bit. It wasn't long before he was back to his old self.

The three healthy members trickled their way into their makeshift club room when they realised that Kai wasn't there. Morikawa stayed in the room in case the brunet came back while Izaki checked bathrooms and Miwa headed to the front desk.

"Hello, do you know where Kai Toshiki is?" he asked politely. The receptionist smiled before giving a look of confusion.

"Kai Toshiki? Didn't he tell you? He was discharged this morning." Miwa sighed. That idiot! The least he could've done was tell his friends that he was all better now! Quickly, Miwa thanked the lady before running back upstairs to inform Izaki and Morikawa of the latest turn of events.

* * *

Kai trekked down the sidewalk to the park. It had been so long since he had walked outside without the threat of being killed. The warm sunlight felt good on his skin. That hospital was too dreary for his tastes. He breathed in the fresh air. Man that felt good! He continued on his way until he reached his favourite park bench. How long had it been since he had taken a nap on it? He eased himself onto the bench and lay down. No time like the present.

* * *

Aichi walked out of Card Capital with a spring in his step. He had just finished a couple of cardfights against his teammates. He made his way to the park. He didn't expect to find his friend napping on his usual bench. Aichi leaned over him and observed the way the brunet's breathing was so even and his peaceful expression. It suited him much better than the scowl that the brunet had used to plaster on his face. A gentle smile of Aichi's own graced his face. It had been so long since he had seen that smile. It was then that three certain Hitsue students came running into the park.

"Kai!" they all screamed. Aichi stifled his laughter as a grumpy brunet was roused from his slumber. Kai sat up on his bench and threw them a mildly annoyed glare.

"What?" he asked. Miwa and Izaki began to shout at the brunet for not informing them of his discharge while Morikawa just stepped out the chaos. Kai calmly disputed with them, their friendly bickering putting a smile on Aichi's face. It seemed like things would be normal for a while longer.

* * *

Kai walked into the hospital that he had been so recently released from. The white walls were nostalgic, not that he wanted them to be.

He walked up to the receptionist.

"What room is Olivier Gaillard staying in?" The lady looked through her files and gave him the number. Kai thanked her and made his way down the hall. His heart thumped. He had been preparing what he was going to tell the European cardfighter before he had even gotten to the hospital. Gaillard had been kept longer than Kai had due to the extent of his injuries. He was left without help for much longer and lost much more blood. With a shudder, Kai pulled himself away from the memory. He knocked softly on the door. A muffled "Come in" was heard and Kai stepped into the room.

* * *

Gaillard looked better, which didn't say much since the last time Kai had seen him was when the blue haired boy was on the brink of death. Sharp orange eyes bore into his soul and it unnerved the brunet. To escape the feeling, Kai took a seat next to the bed, orange eyes never leaving his body. Kai looked at the person on the bed. He couldn't feel any hate radiating off of him. Gulping, he asked,

"How've you been doing?" As soon as he finished his sentence, Gaillard scoffed. Kai's jaw dropped. That was a perfectly acceptable question!

"I think the better question is, how've _you_ been doing? The others told me what happened. How've you been holding up?" Kai almost wanted to scoff himself. Here he was worried about the blue haired fighter and yet said blue haired fighter is worried about him. Irony at its finest, he mused.

"I've been doing ok. I've had therapy for a while but I'm fine now. What about you? How are your injuries?" Again, the bluenet scoffed. A tick mark appeared on Kai's face. Now it was getting a little annoying.

"I'm fine. I've had a lot of time to heal. Sure, it's kind of hard to walk right now, but only because I haven't done it in so long." Kai nodded in understanding. He had had the same problem as well. Kai gulped and steeled his resolve. It was time to do what he had set out to do. He had barely opened his mouth when Gaillard interrupted.

"Don't you dare apologise to me, Kai Toshiki. I know that look. I don't want to hear it. You would've done the same thing for me," he ordered as he glared down the brunet. Kai closed his mouth and smiled.

"Alright. Thank you then, Gaillard." The brunet gave his own smile back and nodded. His eyes lit up as he seemed to remember something.

"That's right… I was going to ask you something."

* * *

Kai was in Card Capital, finally finishing the cardfight that he and Aichi had started all those months ago. It felt like forever since he had faced off against his blue haired rival. He was brought out of his thoughts by a question from Aichi.

"What are you going to do now, Kai-kun? You've graduated. Are you going to university? Or are you going to go professional?" Kai gave a smile back. He never had told them had he?

"Gaillard has invited me to go to Europe. I won't be able to fight you for a long time." Murmurs of surprise were heard throughout the store. No one would've predicted that. Aichi nodded in understanding.

"I see. So you're going professional then. Knowing Kai-kun, you're going to do wonderful," he said as he played down a card to guard. The brunet smiled again as he twisted his centre column to attack.

"I'm going to miss you guys. I'll try to come back as often as I can. Don't get too ahead of me now, Aichi!" The bluenet laughed.

"That's my line, Kai-kun!"

The sixth damage fluttered into the damage zone. It didn't matter who had won or lost. That was their own way of saying goodbye to each other. The two met in a firm handshake as they smiled for the camera. The photo was copied and one was given to each of their mates. To remind them that wherever they were, they had friends that would help them no matter what and that their paths would cross again.

THE END

* * *

**Well that's it! Thank you to those who read the whole thing and I hope you enjoyed it! I sure did! See you next time! My next fic is probably going to be for the Fairy Tail fandom. I recommend the anime and manga if you haven't read it. It's really good! See you~! Merry early Christmas!**


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